


Another Bun in the Oven: ABITO 2

by RedBlackBeauty



Series: ABITO [2]
Category: Big Bang (Band), GTOP (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-06 22:24:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5433002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBlackBeauty/pseuds/RedBlackBeauty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Well this is a sequel to 'A Bun in the Oven: ABITO', which was not even planned to be a chaptered fic but ended up with seven chapters anyway haha. I thought of ending it at the sixth chapter but my brain couldn't stop writing the epilogue. And that epilogue led to this sequel. (really I'm just a sucker for GTOP mpreg and I couldn't stop myself from writing one..yeah.)</p><p>I intend for this sequel to be filled with a little bit of drama, since the prequel was a bit light and easy. With several chapters drafted out already, and more ideas are coming at random times, hopefully I will be able to update regularly. Just bear with me if you think this story is worth following.</p><p>Drop me your comments / messages; here, Twitter, LINE, tumblr, ask, anywhere, if you have words to share. ^^</p><p>Thanks!<br/> <br/>A/N: Originally published on AFF on October 10, 2014 and is still a work in progress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Try and Wait

 

“She’s already asleep..” Seunghyun whined from the door, catching Jiyong’s attention, “put her in her bed.”

Jiyong, who was standing next to Jihyun’s bed with the sleeping little girl leaning on his shoulder, turned to face the pouty Seunghyun. “Just give me a minute,” Jiyong pressed his cheek atop of Jihyun’s head, swaying lightly, “I’ve missed her.”

“Well I miss you, too.” With an exaggerated pout, Seunghyun walked over and wrapped his arms around the two from behind, resting his chin on Jiyong’s shoulder. “Don’t you miss me?”

“Maybe,” Jiyong grinned, biting his lip, “a little.”

Seunghyun scoffed. “Are you sure?” The whisper came hot and breathy in Jiyong’s ear. He squirmed when one of Seunghyun’s hands slithered underneath his shirt, pressing the palm flat on his stomach, caressing and pulling him closer.

“What are you doing? She’s asleep.” Jiyong chided under his breath, nudging Seunghyun away with his shoulder playfully.

“I told you to put her in her bed already,” Seunghyun teased with wet kisses from the shell of Jiyong’s ear and along the slender neck, “so that I can put  _you_ in  _our_ bed.”

Jiyong was feeling giddy. He had been away to Japan for three days and there was no way in hell or heaven or wherever in between that he was not missing this shamelessly horny human being. He just came back this afternoon and Jihyun hogged his attention to herself; telling stories of what she did, asking him to read the new book that her aunt Dami bought her, showing him the drawings on her paper roll that she drew when her Papa was away. She slowed down when it was time for dinner and fell asleep almost immediately after that.

“You’re gonna wake her up if you keep on doing this.” Jiyong stifled the bubble of giggles from rolling out his throat.

“If you must know,  _someone_ is already awake because of you.”

“Yeah, I can  _feel_ that. He’s awake alright.”

“He misses you.”

“I bet he does.”

Seunghyun groaned and pulled away. “Why are you being such a tease?” Seunghyun sulked a little too loudly causing Jiyong to widen his eyes as a reminder that Jihyun was asleep. So with hushed tone, Seunghyun continued to whine. “I’m frustrated over here. I miss you, I wanna touch you, I wanna kiss you, I wanna do all kinds of things to you. But all you’ve been doing since you got home was giving your attention to her.”

Jiyong’s mouth gapped in mock surprise. But he found it a little funny and adorable too. “Seunghyun, you’re not jealous of our child are you?”

“I-I’m not.” The fact was, he was jealous, but just a little. “It’s just that, I’m right here. Don’t you miss me too? Don’t you want me to touch you, kiss you and let me do things to you?”

Jiyong let the giggles out then. This was too cute. He turned to the little bed and carefully tucked Jihyun in. He bent over to kiss her forehead before turning around to face Seunghyun.

“Of course I wanted to do those things. Since the moment I landed at the airport.” He pressed their bodies together, letting his hands smooth the creases on Seunghyun’s shirt as they roamed from the shoulders down to the sturdy chest. “But darling,” he nudged Seunghyun’s nose with his and pecked the thin lips lightly, and breathed the words out, “that was judt foreplay.” Jiyong darted his tongue out to lick his lips, deliberately letting the tip ghost along Seunghyun’s lips.

The elder swallowed hard. His throat was suddenly dry.

Jiyong smirked and leaned closer to Seunghyun’s ear and whispers. "Close the door behind you.”

Before Seunghyun could register what Jiyong meant, Jiyong pulled away and dashed out of the room with giggles echoing around the hallway towards their bedroom.

“You little fox!” Seunghyun bit his lip and gave Jihyun a quick peck on her forehead before following Jiyong, closing the door carefully; wouldn’t wanna wake Jihyun up with a loud bang.

Jiyong almost had their bedroom door slammed flat on Seunghyun’s face when the elder stopped him and slipped into the room, grabbing Jiyong by his wrist. Breathless giggles and laughter filled the room as Seunghyun crowded Jiyong against the door and kissed him for what he was worth.

“You think you can get away from me?” Seunghyun growled, playfully nipping at Jiyong’s earlobe, fingers tickling the sides of Jiyong’s torso, making him laugh even more, throwing his head against the door. His effort of squirming away from Seunghyun was useless; the more he laughed, the weaker he became.

But he decided to tease Seunghyun anyway and yelped a ‘yes’ in between his laughter.

“Oh, really?” The tickles intensified and Jiyong’s pleas laced with his laughter like music to Seunghyun’s ears. Grinning widely, Seunghyun stopped his attacks and kissed Jiyong again; languidly.

Tired of standing on his toes to meet Seunghyun’s passionate kisses, Jiyong lifted himself up to wrap his legs around Seunghyun’s waist, clutching his arms around Seunghyun’s neck. It didn’t take long before the giggles and laughter were replaced by moans and whimpers.

“God, I’ve missed you,” Jiyong smiled, looking down at Seunghyun; still standing in the doorway. He carded his hands in the elder’s hair, brushing them away from the forehead. And then he brought his hands over Seunghyun’s eyes, causing them to flutter closed. He pressed the pad of his fingers gently over the eyelids.

“I’ve missed these,” he muttered. The smile in his tone widened the smile on Seunghyun’s face.

And on to the high of Seunghyun’s cheekbones, “I’ve missed these, too.”

Seunghyun looked up at him.

“And also this,” the little fingers crowded onto the bridge of the elder’s nose, gaining soft chuckles from the owner.

“And of course these,” he pressed a thumb along Seunghyun’s lips, pressing them out of shape, before leaning down for another soft kiss. Jiyong deliberately let out a low hum, knowing its effect on Seunghyun.

When they pulled away, the elder had this impish grin across his face, wiggling his eyebrows. “Well, now do you want me to show you what I’ve missed?”

Jiyong laughed at Seunghyun’s perverted tone. But he didn’t answer. Instead, he tightened his arms around Seunghyun’s neck, burying one hand in the mop of the dark hair, and leaned close to the man’s ear.

“Take us to bed,” Jiyong whispered in what Seunghyun ranked as the dirtiest moan he’s ever heard causing him to freeze for a few seconds. “Now.”

Seunghyun spun around and took the few steps to the bed hurriedly and practically threw Jiyong giggling into the mattress when his knees knocked the edge of the bed.

Jiyong watched, tilting his head to the side with an index finger between his teeth, as Seunghyun stripped down. He extended one leg to let his foot trail along Seunghyun’s thigh up to the crotch area, teasing Seunghyun's half hard member. He let out a whimper, arching his back lewdly, glancing at Seunghyun with hooded eyes causing the elder to grunt as he threw his shirt mindlessly onto the floor and crawled into bed, hovering above Jiyong.

With his lip behind his teeth, Jiyong pulled Seunghyun down into a kiss and smiled when he felt Seunghyun fingers working on unbuttoning his shirt. He squirmed out of his shirt while his hands immediately latched onto the waistband of Seunghyun’s sweatpants, tugging it playfully, pushing it down.

Seunghyun pulled away as he got the hint; he stood back up and stripped naked.

“Now you strip!” Seunghyun approached Jiyong and smacked the side of the younger’s thigh playfully.

Jiyong fake a cry of pain, already unbuckling his belt, pushing the waistband down. Seunghyun helped him to pull the rest of the leather pants off.

“These pants are too tight for your own good, you know?” Seunghyun settled back in between Jiyong’s leg.

“Oh yeah? Why?” Jiyong teased, shifting a little bit at the feeling of Seunghyun hardness pressing against his own.

“You know why,” Seunghyun silenced Jiyong with yet another kiss, rocking his hip slowly. The tiny, subtle sounds that Jiyong made, whether they were deliberate or came out naturally, they were equally sinful. And they sent Seunghyun’s heart on a race.

One of his hands headed south and it paused when it came in contact with a sticky, damp spot. Seunghyun hummed, “I didn’t expect you to be this wet from the way you were resisting.”

“Please,” Jiyong sucked in a breath, “your voice alone could get me this wet.”

Seunghyun growled, taking Jiyong’s length into his hand, stroking it slowly. The view in front of his eyes was just spectacular; Jiyong arching his neck in pleasure, eyes tightly shut, a dopey smile across his flushed face, humming blissfully every now and then. Seunghyun lowered down and nuzzled at the crook of Jiyong’s neck, ghosting hot breaths against the soft skin before branding wet kisses along the protruding collarbones.

Jiyong gripped the elder’s arms when he felt Seunghyun nibbled and sucked on a little spot on his neck. His breaths became shallow and erratic as Seunghyun sucked harder; leaving his mark, driving Jiyong crazy. His little hand sought for Seunghyun’s and brought it to his mouth to then lathered the middle finger with his own spit.

Seunghyun smirked, watching Jiyong lavishly--lewdly--coating the finger with wetness. When he was satisfied, Jiyong let go of the finger with a pop. “That should do it,” Jiyong bit his lip down.

“Na-ah,” Seunghyun propped up and grabbed the tube of lube on the nightstand, “No way I’m gonna do it dry like that. I’m not gonna hurt you.” He smothered a good amount of the cool lubricant around the same finger and looked up to meet Jiyong’s eyes, but they were already tightly closed in anticipation.

Seunghyun gently nudged at the entrance, relishing the sound of Jiyong’s short breaths as the finger pushed in. He leaned down to peck Jiyong on the lips and asked if he was ready. It was a rhetorical question because Seunghyun pushed the finger in up to his first knuckle before Jiyong even got to respond. He captured Jiyong’s lips yet again, leaving the younger with no choice but to swallow the tiny whimpers forming at the base of his throat.

Jiyong rocked his hips for more. His arms clinging onto Seunghyun’s shoulders like his life depended on the sturdy frame. The elder indulged Jiyong with another finger after a while. His fingers clawed deep into Seunghyun’s back as he sighed and hummed at being pleasured. He became impatient by the second and urged Seunghyun to push the third finger in. Jiyong winced at the pain at first but adapted to it almost immediately. He sought for Seunghyun’s lips once again to distract himself from the stings.

“Now, Seunghyun. Now.” Jiyong panted again Seunghyun’s lips. The elder wasted not a second more to pull out and lathered his dick with the lube. He was ready to take Jiyong when the latter stopped him.

“Seunghyun, wait..” Jiyong pulled away, breathless. “Condom..” he dropped his arm, pointing at the general direction of their nightstand.

But Seunghyun didn’t hesitate when he shook his head. “No. Not tonight.”

“N-No?” Jiyong frowns.

“No. Tonight we’re trying.” Seunghyun locked his eyes on Jiyong’s hooded ones.

“We are?” Jiyong sounded hopeful.

It had been almost five years since Jihyun was born. Although the doctors had said too many times that it was impossible for Jiyong to get pregnant again, the couple insisted that they had nothing to lose if they still wanted to try. So with that in mind, they gave it a try several times over the years but with unfortunate outcomes. Jiyong even had a few false pregnancies after these tries. He wanted it so bad that he started experiencing typical signs of pregnancy, like morning sickness and gaining weight, when he was not pregnant at all. A few visits to the hospitals started with hopeful smiles and ended with crushed frowns. They got frustrated, yes, especially Jiyong. But luckily, they were pretty optimistic about the whole thing; if they got pregnant again, yay! If not, they would still get the pleasure of sex out of it.

So when Seunghyun said that they were gonna try again tonight, Jiyong was all up for it. He missed being pregnant and he would do anything to get pregnant again. And also because he knew, when Seunghyun was trying, the night was going to be wild and rough and long.

 

There was nothing more rewarding--and arousing--to Seunghyun than waking up to the view of Jiyong’s bare back curled up next to him. Inked words stood out on the otherwise pale and unblemished skin of his shoulder. Seunghyun sneaked closer, nuzzling at the curve of Jiyong’s neck, pressing light kisses on the permanent series of Roman numerals.

Jiyong took a deep breath, stirring out of sleep, turning on his side to face Seunghyun.

“Aren’t you cold? Why are you sleeping so far away?” Seunghyun curled his arm around Jiyong and pulled him closer.

“Because you seemed to be doing some kind of  _martial arts_  in your sleep and kept hitting my sore back, so..” Jiyong replied without even bothering to open his eyes.

Seunghyun chuckled, pressing a kiss on Jiyong’s forehead. “Sorry..”

Jiyong hummed and nuzzled against Seunghyun’s chest. “Go back to sleep! It’s still so early and Jihyun is not up yet. So please let me have some more sleep.”

The elder huffed a smile, pressing a kiss on Jiyong’s temple. “Okay, okay..” He ran his hand mindlessly along Jiyong’s back, watching him drift back to sleep. Seunghyun slipped back under the covers, snuggling with Jiyong in his arms.

So now, they wait.

 

**************

 

 

 


	2. This Feels Familiar

 

_This is familiar. These feelings are so familiar. Very familiar._

Jiyong stood in front of the huge mirror in his bathroom; stripped down to his brief. One hand resting on his hip and the other pressed against his mouth. He studied his reflection from head to toe, turning side to side. His eyes stopped at his stomach.

_But it can’t be. The doctors said it’s impossible. But I want it so bad._

A smile started to creep along his lips but he quickly shook it away.

_No! Stop! Don’t get excited. It’s probably nothing._

Jiyong didn’t want to get his hopes up this time because it had happened before, 2 years ago to be exact; he woke up one morning feeling dizzy and threw up every few hours. He thought it was one of the signs, so he went back to the hospital for a checkup. When the results came out as a mild stomach upset and another lecture on how it was impossible for him to conceive again, Jiyong fell into depression, just like when he first found out about it after Jihyun’s birth all over again.

He pressed a palm against his stomach and stroke it gently.

_But this feels different. I don’t really feel dizzy. And I’ve only threw up once since morning. It’s just—No! Nonononono! Stop it, Jiyong! It’ll never happen._

He heaved a sigh; mentally smacking his own head for letting his mind wander in that direction again. Yes, they had been trying despite the doctors’ advices and reminders that it was impossible. But year after year, Jiyong had started to believe, what if the doctors were right? What if it would never ever happen no matter how hopeful and hard you tried.

Jiyong sighed again, slipping into his pants and was about to put on his shirt when a knock on the door startled him.

“Papa? Are you in there?”

“Yup!” Jiyong opened the door cheerfully. “Let’s go!”

 

Lunch was fun as usual, filled with Jihyun’s quirky antics; arranging her carrots and peas into funny faces, and she successfully counted to ten using her peas and was very excited to use a fork without catapulting her food across the dining table anymore.

When Jiyong was done with the dishes, he turned on his heels, away from the sink. However, the whole room spun with him. His vision blurred and almost went blank.

"Whoaa.." He breathed out, grabbing the edge of the kitchen counter, shaking his head, blinking the clouding white dots in his vision away.

"Papa, are you okay?" Jihyun was quick to latch onto his side, tugging the hem of his shirt.

"Hm?" Jiyong peeked down at the little girl, still so blurry. "Yeah, I'm fine."

But Jihyun, with furrowed pair of brows and concerned pair of eyes, was not having any of it. "Are you sure?"

Jiyong smiled but surrendered. "Let's go upstairs; I need to lie down for a bit. Let's go upstairs." Hands still holding on to the counter, Jiyong propped himself to steady his stand on the floor, fighting to stay awake at least until he reached his bedroom. The spinning hadn't stopped and he was gonna throw up soon if he didn't lie down. But he couldn't leave Jihyun alone. "Let's go, baby."

"Okay." Jihyun took his father's hand and squeezed it tight when Jiyong had to stop several times on their way to the bedroom.

Jiyong slowly settled in bed and his little girl climbed on too. She helped him pull up the blanket up to his chest.

"Baby, have you seen my phone?" Jiyong croaked, barely looking at the little girl with his heavy eyes, a hand roaming underneath the pillows searching for the device.

"Here, here, here," Jihyun grabbed the phone from the nightstand and put it into Jiyong's hand.

Jiyong tapped on the speed dial and handed the phone to Jihyun. "Here, talk to Daddy. Ask him to come home now."

Jihyun nodded, taking the phone into her hand, muttering a faint 'okay', watching her father's eyes fluttered close. Her other hand was still tightly wrapped around Jiyong's, squeezing it lightly while she waited for Seunghyun to pick up the call.

"Daddy?"

"Jihyun? Hey, baby." Seunghyun replied, sounded a little surprised that it wasn’t Jiyong on the line. Somehow he sensed something was not right.

Hearing her father’s voice, Jihyun was suddenly overwhelmed and couldn't say a thing.

"Jihyun?" Seunghyun's cheerful tone faltered. "Is everything alright? Where's Papa?"

"Daddy..can you come home now? It’s Papa.. H-He’s.."

"What's wrong, baby? Tell me." Sounds of things shuffled about could be heard through the phone as Seunghyun gathered his stuff and muttered something to his manager. Something  _was_ wrong.

"Papa.. He's..- he's just.." and the little girl started to tear up, "he's just lying in bed."

"Jihyun, don't cry, baby. Tell me what happened. Is he hurt?" Seunghyun sounded like he was panting, probably keeping up with his own quick walking pace and accelerating heartbeat.

"I don't think so," Jihyun sniffled, shaking her head. "We were just doing the dishes together in the kitchen after we had lunch," more sniffles, "and Papa suddenly wanted to lie down."

"Shit," a curse slipped off his tongue and quickly apologized. "Where is he now?"

"He's here, in bed."

"Is he awake? Can I talk to him?"

"His eyes are closed. I’ve tried to wake him up but.." Jihyun teared up even more. "Daddy.."

"I'm coming home now, baby. Don't cry. Just keep him company, okay? I'll be home soon. Don't cry. Don't cry."

 

Seunghyun reached home almost half an hour later with the family doctor. The house was quiet when Seunghyun walked in. He called out for Jihyun while hurriedly throwing his jacket onto the couch, but no answer. He figured Jihyun must be in his bedroom with Jiyong. “Let’s go upstairs, doctor.” Seunghyun ushered the doctor towards his bedroom upstairs.

“Oh dear..” the sight of Jihyun, fallen asleep, curling next Jiyong on the bed with her hand tightly wrapped around Jiyong’s and a slight frown on her face broke Seunghyun’s heart. He approached the child slowly and woke her up, whispering her name. “Wake up, baby..”

A pair of worried eyes fluttered open and Jihyun quickly climb into her Daddy’s lap, locking her arms around him. “It’s okay, I have the doctor here to look at Papa. Don’t worry, okay. It’s gonna be alright.” Seunghyun cooed, smoothing his hand down her hair, while watching the doctor checking on Jiyong.

 “He’s just passed out. Lucky he didn’t have anything in his mouth that could choke him.” The doctor let out a relieved sigh. “Help me get a wet and cold washcloth please.” The doctor asked while positioning Jiyong onto his side for recovery. Since Jihyun didn’t wanna let him go, Seunghyun had to go to the kitchen and returned with the doctor’s request with the child clinging onto him like a Koala.

“Here you go, doctor.” Seunghyun offered the wet washcloth to the doctor.

“You can put it on his forehead.” The doctor nodded when Seunghyun looked a little unsure but did as told. “Yup, nice and easy. Okay now, quietly and gently call his name to wake him up.”

Seunghyun mumbled a silent ‘okay’, climbing onto the other side of the bed and scooted closer. And then gently, he took Jiyong’s hand into his. “Jiyong..” he squeezed the hand a little and caressed the lean arm. He leaned closer to Jiyong’s ear and whispered his name again. “Wake up, baby. The doctor’s here. We’re all here. Jiyong..” He turned to Jihyun who’s kneeling next to him. “You wanna try wake him up? Come here..”

Jihyun crawled to her father’s side. She extended her little hand and gently caressed Jiyong’s cheek and croaked, “Papa,” she shook the cheek a little. “Papa, wake up.”

Seunghyun continued to squeeze Jiyong’s hand as Jihyun called out his name for a few more times. Then Jiyong’s breathing started to change; from low and steady to alive and heavy. Jihyun pulled away observing Jiyong’s eyes flutter open, fighting to open them wide against the heavy lids. He looked pale and tired, looking up to Seunghyun, trying to say something, but his dry throat didn’t let him.

“There you go,” the doctor acknowledges, from the side of the bed. "Let’s help him sit up.”

With the help of the doctor, Seunghyun pulled Jiyong up and arranged the pillows against the headboard for Jiyong to lean against. Then he poured some water into a glass on the nightstand and brought it to Jiyong’s mouth. “Here, drink some water.” After a few gulps, Jiyong mumbled a thanks to Seunghyun and smiled.

“Hey, doctor..” Jiyong turned and greeted the man.

The doctor shook his head, with a relieved smile. “How are you feeling, Jiyong? Tell me what happened.” The doctor inquired while taking out his stethoscope and pressed it against Jiyong’s chest, asking him to inhale and exhale.

“Well, it was nothing, really.” But the doctor gave him the ‘you think I’m buying that?’ look. “I did feel a little lightheaded when I woke up this morning. I thought I was just hungry, so I had my breakfast.” Jiyong paused to let the doctor take a look at his eyes with a penlight. “But the dizziness actually continued until lunch time. I thought maybe I was just feeling under the weather. Then, after doing the dishes,” he turned to Jihyun, “we had so much fun and I think I spun too hard that the everything else spun with me.” He turned back to the doctor, “and you know the rest.”

“Did you throw up?” The doctor was setting up a portable blood pressure machine and putting on the strap around Jiyong’s upper arm and the little machine lit up at a press of a button.

Jiyong eyes wandered, trying to remember. “Just once. In the morning.”

“Okay,” the doctor finally said after the machine stopped humming with a beep, displaying the final reading on its little monitor, “nothing to worry about. Everything is fine, it’s just that your blood pressure is a little low.”

“Oh..”

“Don’t worry. Just make sure you have enough rest and drink lots of water. You are probably drained out by your activities. I guess your schedule is taking its toll on you.” The doctor advised, putting his stuff back into his case. “Make sure you eat regularly too. Don’t miss any meal and take a lot of fruits and greens. Also,” the doctor paused, “hands off the alcohol for a while.” The doctor smiled, pointing a finger towards Jiyong. “I know how you crazy kids get with alcohol.”

Jiyong huffed a smile. “Yes, doc..”

“Good,” he laughed. “Well, I’ll take my leave now. Take care, Jiyong.”

“Thank you, doctor.” The couple replied in unison as Seunghyun got up, “Let me walk you out.”

Jihyun snuggled up against Jiyong’s side as the two men disappear behind the door.

“I scared you, didn’t I?” Jiyong asked and pulled her closer, feeling her gentle nod against his chest. “I’m sorry..”

“It’s okay..” Jihyun squeezed her embrace, “just don’t do it again.”

Jiyong chuckled softly. “I won’t, I promise.”

 

 

Later that night, a jostle next to him followed by the sound of quick footsteps to the bathroom woke Jiyong up. A flick of the light switch illuminated the bathroom.

"Seunghy-" Jiyong was cut off by the sound of the elder throwing up into the toilet bowl. "Seunghyun?" He slid off the bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand, walking blindly to the bathroom. "Are you okay?" He asked, standing in the doorway.

Seunghyun couldn't give a reply as another wave of vomit pushed outward from the base of his stomach, emptying everything into the bowl. Jiyong frowned as he approached Seunghyun who was kneeling on the floor and rubbed his palm gently along the elder's back. "Hey..," Jiyong joined him kneeling, "are you okay?"

Seunghyun stood up, pushing the flush button, when the nausea seemed over. He grabbed a few pulls of the toilet paper and wiped his mouth. He let out a groan while washing his face at the sink. "I don't know." He gargled some mouthwash and rinsed with water. "That's the third time today. It could be something I ate. But everyone else at the set ate the same thing and they were fine."

Jiyong walked over and pressed a palm against Seunghyun's forehead. "You don't have temperature either." He looked up at the frowning man; worried and confused. But there was a nervous feeling started to creep up his spine. "Do you wanna go see the doctor?"

Seunghyun looked at him through the reflection in the mirror. "Nah, it’s fine. I think it's just a mild stomach upset. I'll go and see him tomorrow if I throw up again."

_A mild stomach upset._

The words echoed in Jiyong's head and he froze, eyes locked mindlessly at the edge of the sink counter. He has heard that phrase too many times  before and was probably traumatized by it.

"Let's go back to bed," Seunghyun pressed a kiss atop Jiyong's head.

"Right," Jiyong blinked out of his stupor. "Let me get you a glass of water."

Jiyong's head was filled with hopeful voices as he descended  the flight of stairs to the kitchen.

_Maybe it's happening. Maybe it's true. This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it Jiyong? This is what you want. You know you’re feeling it. And now Seunghy-_

"No!" Jiyong blurted out loud subconsciously, stopping himself from getting high hopes. "Nonononono. Don't fuck with me. It's not funny." Yes, he wanted it. So bad. But he had been disappointed too many times by getting excited over these stupid signs before.

He ruffled his hair, grabbing a mug and filled it with water before walking out of the kitchen. His steps faltered at the bottom of the staircase.

"But," he sighed, "a visit to the doctor's office for another check up wouldn't hurt anybody." He paused. "Well it would hurt me if it turn out negative, but.." He heaved another heavy breath. "Yeah, I'll make an appointment tomorrow."

Another sigh, then Jiyong climbs the staircase and back into their bedroom.

 

**************

 

 

 


	3. A Mistake

 

Jiyong's eyes fluttered open and he frowned as it was already bright outside. He turned onto his back and stretched, making noises like a dying whale. Seunghyun was already out of bed, nowhere to be found in the room, so he propped himself up and looked around. Yup, no sign of Seunghyun.

Jiyong pushed the covers off of him, shivering a little at the slight chilliness in the temperature. He glanced at the radio clock on his nightstand and sighed; twenty minutes past ten. No wonder the sun was well up in the sky. He slid off the bed and decided to take a shower before heading out to find the rest of the family.

Jiyong noticed that their laundry hamper by the closet door was missing, but he just smiled. Seunghyun must have helped to take it out to the laundry room. "So it took sorta like a near-death incident for you to finally help me with the laundry, huh? Silly." He chuckled, shaking his head, throwing his sleep clothes over to the spot where the hamper should be.

Jiyong took his time in the shower. Turning on the water jets, he let the hot water press along his back, massaging the numb spots. Somehow, the incident yesterday tired down his whole body. He ran his hands through his hair, pressing his fingers along his scalp from the hairline all the way back to his nape, lathering his hair with shampoo.

When he was done, he dried himself with a towel and blew his hair enough to dry off the droplets dripping from the ends of his hair. He sprayed some cologne on his wrists, rubbed them on the inside of his elbows and also a little bit behind his ears; just the way Seunghyun liked it. He slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, ready to join Seunghyun and Jihyun, wherever they could be in the house.

As soon as he opened the door, he could here two voices, one high and chirpy, and the other low and deep; bickering in the living room.

"Ow! That's not how you do it, Daddy!"

"Yes, it is! This is how your aunt Dami taught me."

"No, it's not. You're pulling too hard. Daddy! Ow!"

"You're moving too much, Jihyun. Just hold still. I'm almost done."

"Daddy, never mind. Papa can do it for me when he wakes up."

"Papa needs to rest."

"Daddy~!!"

Jiyong stepped closer until the father and daughter came into view; Seunghyun was sitting on the couch with Jihyun kneeling in front of him, facing the other way. A comb in one hand and a hair band in the other, Seunghyun was apparently trying to tie up Jihyun's hair.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jiyong asked, announcing his entrance with a smile. He leaned down and kisses Jihyun atop of her head.

"Heyyyyy there he is!" Seunghyun smiled back.

"Papa, save me." Jihyun pouted.

"Hey, come on. It wasn't that bad. You're almost done. Look." Seunghyun retorted, handing a mirror to the little girl.

"I look like a crazy person!" She huffed and stood up and marched upstairs to her room; sulking.

"Jihy- Ji, look at your daughter. Look at her stomping her feet.  _At me_. Look."

Jiyong chuckled, shaking his head, and took the seat next to Seunghyun; pulling the man's arm over his shoulders and molded along his side, letting Jihyun's little drama slide.

"Good morning," Jiyong pulled Seunghyun into a kiss. "You already showered." He pouted when he pulls away. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"It was still so early and chilly and you needed the rest, so I let you sleep." Seunghyun pecked the pouty lips. "Now go eat your breakfast."

Jiyong turned his head towards the kitchen counter where he could see his prepared meal. However, instead of making a move to head to the kitchen, Jiyong caught Seunghyun in a kiss again; deep and passionate. "Hmm..yummy.." he hummed as he pulled away, "but I like my breakfast better in bed."

Seunghyun's eyes widened. "Shut up. Go eat your food." He shoved the chuckling Jiyong to stand up. "You need to take your medicines."

"Oh, speaking of which," Jiyong left the couch and trod to the kitchen, "I have an appointment this afternoon. A doctor's appointment." He took his plate and walked back into the living room.

"Doctor's appointment?" Seunghyun looked up and watched Jiyong as he sits back in his spot earlier. He sounded worried. "What, is it a check up? Was yesterday's incident something serious? Are you still not feeling well?"

Jiyong smiled, shoving a small piece of toast into his mouth. "No. Relax. It's just a follow up appointment. They wanna make sure that everything is okay."

Seunghyun frowned, still not convinced.

"Don't worry. It's nothing. The doctor's probably gonna give me some vitamins or supplements to take."

"Do you want me to go with you? I can go with you."

“No, it’s okay. You have a shooting to do this afternoon anyway, right?”

"Ji, you know I can reschedule that with just a phone call.”

Jiyong shook his head. “I know,” he peck Seunghyun on the lips. “I thank you and I love you for that. But you don’t have to. It’s just a check-up. I'll take Jihyun with me, and then we can meet after that for dinner.” Another peck on Seunghyun’s lips.

"Jiy-"

"Your toasts are a little burned." He shoved a piece of the toast into Seunghyun's mouth. "Don't you think?" He grinned, looking up at Seunghyun chewing, almost choking on the toast.

"Fine. Call me as soon as you're done."

"I promise."

"Also call me if you change your mind and need me to come with you."

"I'm fine and I'll be fine. Stop worrying. You're getting old."

Seunghyun cocked an eyebrow as Jiyong continued devouring his plate, deliberately ignoring the elder's reaction.

 

One thing that Jiyong kept from Seunghyun was that he was not going for a follow up appointment. He was actually going to see his prenatal doctor. All those signs that he had been experiencing lately made him almost 100% sure that he was pregnant again; he was sleepy all the time, fatigue by only minimal activities and what happened yesterday was caused by low blood pressure. All were signs of early pregnancy. But no throwing up, though. Apparently Seunghyun had taken over that one, or as people called it,  _sympathetic pregnancy_. Seunghyun was pretty convinced that he was too tired sometimes that throwing up was probably his body's reaction to the uneasiness caused by the prolonged schedule for the past few weeks.

Jiyong didn't say anything because he didn't want to get Seunghyun's-- _or his own--_ hopes up. Obviously Seunghyun didn't remember he experienced the same thing when they were pregnant with Jihyun. So Jiyong decided to skip home tests and just made an appointment with his doctor to find out himself.

He was now waiting in the doctor's office; tapping his shoes on the cold floor and his heart was beating so fast, anticipating the results. There was not even a slight doubt in his heart. He knew that this time, it would turn out positive. He knew it. So when the doctor walked into the room with a smile on her face, Jiyong knew he was right.

"Say it," Jiyong beamed, bouncing in his seat. "Just say it. Come on, I wanna hear it. Say it!"

"Well, Jiyong," the doctor returned his smile. "Congratulations, you are five weeks pregnant."

"YES!!" Jiyong covered his mouth with his trembling hands before he sprung up from his chair and embraced the doctor, "I'M SO HAPPY YOU HAVE NO IDEA! I can't wait to tell Seunghyun!"

"I'm happy for both of you too, Jiyong. I know how hard it's been for you all these years."

"Thank you, doctor." Jiyong couldn't contain his tears anymore. He was so happy. He was the happiest at the moment.

After the doctor scheduled his next check up, Jiyong left the office with the brightest smile plastered across his face. However, with tears damping his eyes, the situation confused his little child.

"Why are you crying?" Jihyun asked with concerned puppy eyes underneath a heavy frown.

Jiyong kneeled down to her level. "I'm crying because I'm happy."

"You cry because you're happy? I'm confused."

Jiyong chuckled, wiping his tears with his fingers. "Well, sometimes, you would cry when you are so, so, so happy.”

“So you’re happy right now?”

Jiyong nodded.

“About what?” She caught another tear rolling down her father’s cheek with her tiny fingers.

“I’ll tell you all about it later, okay? Right now, I need to call your Daddy.”

 

“Hey, love.”

Seunghyun paused. Jiyong was up to something. It was not often for him to use that petname; only when he wanted something.

“Hey, how did the check-up go?”

“It was okay. I’m fine.” Jiyong answered him quickly so that he could change the subject before he would just spill out the beans. “Hey, what do you say if we have dinner with the others tonight? You know, the five of us? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Jiyong could tell Seunghyun was frowning on the other side.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Err..nothing. Just dinner. I’ll give the rest a call.”

“Yeah, sure. Why not. I could use some wine tonight, anyway.” Seunghyun agreed although he sounded a little bit unsure.

“Okay, great. I’ll call you back later.”

“Jiyong, wait.” Seunghyun called out right before Jiyong disconnected the call. “You’re not keeping anything from me, are you?” This was one of Seunghyun’s abilities that bugged Jiyong sometimes; Seunghyun always could sense that something was up.

“What? No. Why would I do that?” Jiyong was getting nervous. He wanted to keep the news until dinner tonight. He was not gonna tell Seunghyun over the phone like this. He wanted to make it special. “I’ll see you at dinner later.”

 

Dinner was fun. Animated. Everyone was there, except for Daesung who was in Japan. Having meals together was always fun; keeping up with each other, sharing whatever stories and news, important or not. But what they liked better, what they loved was, reminiscing the old days. It never got old. They were proud of what they had achieved, of who they were, of where they had come to, but they would give anything to just relive their younger years, when everything was less intense.

“Wahhhhh…thanks for the wine, hyung.” Seungri leaned back in his chair. “I can’t remember the last time I had wine this good.”

“You think I don’t know what you mean?” Youngbae shoved Seungri’s arm. “It’s only good because someone is paying for it.”

Seunghyun laughed. “I’m in a good mood tonight. You can have all the wine you want. But only if you are not driving.” He raised his own glass with a warning finger towards the youngest.

“Don’t worry, hyung. I’m here with my manager. He’s not drinking.” Seungri grinned. It was obvious that he was almost out of it. “But no, seriously. I think the last time I really,  _really_ , had wine was at your birthday party. Three? Four years ago? Great selections. We were so wasted.” Seungri started laughing.

However, on the other side of the table, Youngbae and Jiyong were getting restless. They exchanged glances and fidgeted in their seats.

“I don’t remember almost everything that happened that night. But I do remember Youngbae hyung walking in on you and Hyuksoo hyung.” Seungri pointed at Jiyong and laughed even harder, like it was the funniest thing ever.

Jiyong shut his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.  _Shit_. When he opened his eyes, Seunghyun was already staring at him.

“So you  _are_ keeping something from me.” His mood had turned 180 and there was nothing but anger in his eyes. Before Jiyong got to say anything, Seunghyun stood up, tossing his napkin onto the table and walked away.

“Seunghy-“ Jiyong groaned and stood up. He turned to Youngbae and pointed at Seungri before following Seunghyun to wherever he was retreating. “Keep an eye on him. He’s drunk.”

Jiyong found Seunghyun in the washroom; he was using the sink when Jiyong walked in.

“Seunghyun-”

“Tell me what happened.”

“Nothing hap-“

“Just tell me what happened, God damn it!” Seunghyun’s stern voice echoed around the walls, startling Jiyong.

“It was a mistake.” Jiyong muttered almost inaudibly. He was already on the verge of crying.

“Huh. A mistake.”

“Yes, a mistake! I didn’t mean for it to happen!”

Seunghyun remained silent for a moment. “Is Jihyun a mistake too?”

The first tear rolled down Jiyong’s cheek.

“Answer me, Jiyong! Is Jihyun a mistake too?!”

 

**************

 


	4. He's Possessive

 

"Answer me, Jiyong! Is Jihyun a mistake too? Is she even mine?" Seunghyun clenched his jaw, balling his fist against the cold ceramic sink. Jiyong was still in shock; Seunghyun had never raised his voice at him.

"Jihyun is yours, Seunghyun, how could you? Nothing happened between me and Hyuksoo that night!" It hurt Jiyong so much to hear Seunghyun questioning him like that, accusing him cheating with someone else, and worst of all, doubting Jihyun. But Jiyong swallowed everything, because it was his fault. Anyone in the world would've gone batshit over things like this too.

Seunghyun shook his head. "Ji… I don’t know..” he sighed, “I can’t think right now. I need some time alone.”

“Seunghyun, don’t. Please. Trust me, Seunghyun, please. Believe me she’s yours." Jiyong begged; eyes pooled with tears. He wanted to approach Seunghyun and at least touch him as assurance, but he was frightened. Seunghyun was fuming.

"I trust you, Jiyong. I do. But finding out years after it happened, made me feel stupid. I feel like you, Hyuksoo and whoever knew about this have been mocking me this entire time and I'm doubting you and I hate that!" Seunghyun spat out, hanging his head over the sink, avoiding eye contact with Jiyong. "Just tell me what happened.."

"Nothin-"

"Stop saying that nothing happened when something obviously happened! On my  _birthday!_ " Seunghyun snapped, finally turning to face Jiyong and what he saw broke his heart; Jiyong looked small and fragile with his shoulders slumped, sniffling with tears rolling down his cheeks, eyes locked on the floor. “I can get it out of Hyuksoo but I wanna hear it from you.”

“It was an embarrassing mistake.” Jiyong looked up, but not at Seunghyun; his eyes caught the sight of a hand towel hanging next to the mirror on the wall and stuck to it. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh before he spoke again. “It was at the club. It was dark. I didn’t know it was him. I was drunk,  _he_ was drunk and he sounded like you so I thought he was you.” His eyes flicked at Seunghyun’s for a slight moment and looked away. “I bumped into him when I was stepping out of the washroom. Since I thought he was you, I dragged him in into one of the stalls and…kissed him.” Jiyong paused and waited for Seunghyun’s reaction, but the man remained stoic. He left out the details of how heated and lewd that kiss was because Seunghyun wouldn’t like it. “And then Youngbae walked in on us before things got complicated and slapped me out of the confusion. Literally.”

Seunghyun stayed silent, trying to process what he had just heard.  _So it was just a kiss? I’m mad over nothing? But still, what if Youngbae was not there? Would they go all the way? Nononono he can’t do that. He wouldn’t that. Would he? And how could anyone confuse me and Hyuksoo? Was he really that drunk?_

“So what we did after that was something out of guilt?”

Jiyong whimpered at the accusation. “I was and am still feeling guilty. But being with you could never be out of anything else but love. Being with you is something I want. Something I need.”

“Jiyong, I-“

The door opened, cutting Seunghyun off. Youngbae walked in with careful steps. “Guys, let’s not make a scene here. I’ve told them to bring up your car. You guys should go home.”

Seunghyun’s eyes darted between Jiyong and Youngbae for a moment. “Yeah, you’re right.” He shrugged and just swiftly walked pass Jiyong without sparing him another glance and disappeared out the door.

“I’m screwed,” Jiyong sighed into his palms.

Youngbae walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “It’ll be alright. Just talk to him. I’m sure he’s not that mad. He’s just…possessive.” He shook Jiyong a little.

“I don’t know, Youngbae, I think it’s n-“

“Just talk to him. Trust me.” Youngbae smiled. “Now, let’s get you home.”

 

Jiyong slid into the vehicle, glancing appreciatively and apologetically at Youngbae. He reminded the driver to stop by his sister's apartment to fetch Jihyun before heading home. Seunghyun was a few steps behind him.

"Hyung," Youngbae grabbed Seunghyun's arm to stop him before he stepped into the car. "Jiyong is my friend; I would do anything for him. But I won’t save his ass if he did anything wrong. I was there. Believe me that whatever you thought happened between them that night, did not happen.”

Seunghyun gave Youngbae a half-hearted pat on his back and smiled faintly. “Good night, Youngbae.”

The journey home was quiet except for the sound of Jiyong sniffling every now and then. He was not sure if he should tell Seunghyun the news now. He wanted him to know so bad, but now just didn't feel right. Seunghyun didn’t say anything either, or didn't even try to get more answers from Jiyong. He just stared out the window, only glancing at Jiyong once or twice.

Jiyong avoided Dami’s question when he picked Jihyun up from her apartment. He assured that there was nothing to worry about and that it was just a misunderstanding. She almost went up to Seunghyun and gave him a piece of her mind, but Jiyong was quick to stop her.

“Noona, don’t. It’s my fault this time.” Her sister’s eyes widened in shock. “Seungri spilled about Hyuksoo.”

“O-oh,” she covered her agaped mouth with her hand. “He’s mad?”

“He is.”

“You can stay here for tonight if you want.” Dami offered.

“Thanks, noona. But I think staying away won’t help anything.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She leaned in and hugged her brother. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Good night, noona.”

The way Jiyong held Jihyun so protectively in his arms squeezed Seunghyun’s heart. He didn’t mean to question about Jihyun; the words just slipped off his tongue before he could be sure of the relevance. And now he felt like Jiyong was trying to keep her away from him; maybe he was afraid that he would push her away. Mad or not, Seunghyun could never do that to Jihyun. He knew that she was his. He was just so dumb to let that question out in the first place.

When they arrived, Jiyong thanked the driver and stepped into the house without waiting for Seunghyun. From Jihyun’s room upstairs, he could hear Seunghyun’s steps towards the living room after locking the door. He put Jihyun in her bed, tucked her in, and gathered the courage to step down the stairs and talk to Seunghyun. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs to inhale deeply and took the few steps into the living room.

Seunghyun was leaning back on the couch, resting his head against the headrest, looking up at the ceiling. He sat up when he sensed Jiyong approaching, but didn’t look up at him. He just hang his head down, propping his elbows on his thighs.

"Seunghyun.." Jiyong began, standing at the end of the couch. His tears started to fall all over again. "I know you’re mad right now, but please believe me that that was all that happened between me and Hyuksoo that night and nothing more. It was an embarrassingly stupid mistake. I have never wanted anyone else in my life and it has never occurred to me to ever cheat on you. I'm also wrong for keeping it from you all these years. I just wanted to put it behind us because I didn't want to hurt you. But apparently keeping it a secret hurt you just as much. I am terribly sorry. I apologize from the bottom of my heart; for kissing someone else and for keeping it from you.”

Jiyong paused for a moment, fiddling with his finger nails. "And Jihyun is yours, don't ever doubt that. You can doubt me, but don't ever doubt her. She loves you very much. You are never wrong in her eyes." Jiyong paused again, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. What he was about to hand to Seunghyun was causing the tears to fall even heavier. He fished out an envelope from his jacket. "I called everyone to join us at dinner tonight because I wanted to share this. I thought tonight was going to end on a happy note, a  _very_ happy note, but obviously it went down the opposite way." He placed the envelope atop the coffee table right in front of Seunghyun. "I didn’t tell anybody else yet this time. I want you to be the first.”

Seunghyun frowned looking at the envelope, but still didn’t say anything; didn’t even move to reach for the envelope.

“Good night, Seunghyun.” And then Jiyong turned around and retreated into their bedroom upstairs. He had said what he wanted to say and he hoped Seunghyun would forgive him.

The entire place was dead silent. Seunghyun didn't react to anything Jiyong had said. He just stared at the envelope on the coffee table for the longest time. He was still ignoring the envelope when he left the couch to the patio for a smoke. He did wonder what could be in the envelope, though. He was curious. But above all, he was kinda nervous to find out what was inside. From the small opening of the glass doors, the envelope was beckoning him to open it up. So he walked back in after he finished the cigarette.

He sat back into the same spot on the couch and breathed in deeply before taking the envelope into his hands. He tapped it against his palm and right before opening the flap, he felt the urge for a glass of wine. So he stood up and took the envelope with him into the kitchen.

He put the glass down after taking a sip, tapping his fingers against the countertop. Another deep inhale and he opened up the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper.

As soon as he saw what it was, “Fuck. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What have I done! Jiyong. Fuck! I’m an idiot!” He scrubbed his face with his hands and groaned. “Oh God,” he locked his hands behind his head, staring at the piece of paper; a picture, a screencap of Jiyong’s ultrasound from his appointment earlier that day.

“I’m an idiot!” He screamed out at himself, slamming his fist onto the counter top. “Jiyong..” he propped himself with his hands against the counter top, doubling over at the sick feeling at the core of his stomach. “I’m an idiot.” Tears started welling up, clouding his eyes up. He’s both happy and mad; happy that Jiyong is finally pregnant again and mad at himself for overreacting.

“Jiyong,” he snatched the picture and marched upstairs to their bedroom. He was hoping that Jiyong was still awake when he swung the door open, but no. Jiyong was already curled up in bed, covered up to his shoulders, lying on his side facing Seunghyun’s side of the bed as always. He was already deep in his sleep despite the deep frown and traces of tears on his cheeks.

Seunghyun approached the bed with careful steps, lowering himself to sit next to Jiyong slowly. “I’m sorry, Jiyong.” He whispered, not caring if Jiyong heard it or not.

 

The first view that greets Jiyong when he woke up was Seunghyun sitting next to where he was lying; legs pulled up, his forehead resting on his knees, buried in his folded arms. Seunghyun didn’t sleep a blink the entire night. He spent the hours watching Jiyong sleep and hating on himself when Jiyong unconsciously placed a protective hand on his pregnant stomach.

“Seunghyun?” He called out, voice hoarse and dry.

Seunghyun’s head snapped up and looked at Jiyong.

“You look- You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?”

Seunghyun shook his head; couldn’t pull himself together to speak. The picture was still in his hand so he flicked it towards Jiyong. “You should’ve just told me and stop me from being an idiot.”

Jiyong bit the inside of his mouth. “You were mad; I didn’t think it was a good time to tell you then.”

“Are you kidding me?!” A tear rolled out of the corner of Seunghyun’s eye. “This is the greatest news, Jiyong. We’ve been trying so hard and it finally happened. This made my  _entire life_.” Seunghyun moved then, towards Jiyong who was still lying down. He snaked his arms around Jiyong and embraced him firmly, practically lying on top of him. “I’m sorry.” He whispered into Jiyong’s ear.

Jiyong returned the embrace and held onto Seunghyun tightly. He closed his eyes, taking in Seunghyun’s delicious weight on top of him. “I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Jiyong. Remember that.” Seunghyun titled his head and kissed Jiyong on his temple. “And I’m an idiot. I totally understand if you would prefer kissing someone else.”

Jiyong laughed then, slapping Seunghyun’s back. “No, thanks.” Seunghyun’s laughter rumbled close to his ears.

“Thank you for making me happy.”

“Ditto.”

When Seunghyun moved to pull away, Jiyong tightened his embrace, hooking his leg around the back of Seunghyun’s waist. “No, no, no. Let’s stay this way for a while. You weren’t here for me to cuddle with last night. So pay up, mister.”

Seunghyun was more than willing to oblige, laughing into Jiyong’s ear. “We still need to talk about what happened, you know.”

Jiyong whines. “Later. Right now, I want this. So shut up.”

 

**************

 


	5. We Need Help

 

Seunghyun fell asleep in Jiyong's arms right after that. He didn't sleep all night and Jiyong's warm embrace was so soothing his eyes felt heavy almost instantly. Jiyong let him sleep, carding his fingers in the man's hair smoothly, cooing him deeper into his slumber. After a while, Jiyong succumbed to his own heavy eyes and drifted back into his sleep.

He woke up again a couple of hours later and the sky is already a tad brighter than earlier. Jiyong eyes fluttered, blinking away the blurriness, and he noticed that their position was different too. Opposite to how they fell asleep, Seunghyun was now lying on his back and, like always, his chest had become Jiyong's makeshift pillow. Jiyong was lying on his front and half of his body was practically draping over Seungyun's, pressing his ear over the spot where Seunghyun's heart was. One of his arms thrown over Seunghyun's waist. Jiyong inhaled deeply, waking up the rest of his senses and he smiled at realizing that he was wrapped in Seunghyun's arm, also by the waist.

Jiyong looked up, marvelling at Seunghyun's perfectly sculptured jaw line.  _God must've spent a little bit more time when he created you_ , Jiyong thought. Seunghyun's face was slightly tilted away, facing the other side, and the faint natural light highlighted the edge of his jaw, making it appeared even sharper. Jiyong pulled himself up and nuzzled his face just under the jaw line, pressing a light kiss on the side of Seunghyun's neck. Seunghyun stirred a little, squeezing Jiyong in his arm, probably tickled by Jiyong's hair poking at his face. Jiyong held his breath and stayed still as Seunghyun shifted and let the breath out in relief as it didn't wake him up.

"I'll let you sleep a bit more," Jiyong muttered after Seunghyun settled back into his sleep, pressing another kiss on Seunghyun's neck before he carefully peeled the arm around him and rolled off the bed.

 

After a nice and long shower, Jiyong slid into a fresh pair of clothes and walked out the closet to find Seunghyun already awake; leaning back against the headboard, propped up by the pillows, checking his phone. He looked up when he heard the bathroom door opened.

"Hey.." Jiyong smiled. He approached the bed and slid back next to Seunghyun, "you should go back to sleep."

Seunghyun shook his head, putting his phone onto the nightstand and looked over to Jiyong.

Jiyong smiled wider, noticing Seunghyun's stare on him. "You should’ve joined me in the shower just now if you didn't wanna sleep." He teased Seunghyun who huffed a small laugh, looking away with a shy blush on his cheeks.

"I didn't know if you would want me in there after what happened last night..” He glanced up at Jiyong; the smile dropped, replaced with a frown.

"Seunghy-"

"No, Ji. It's not okay. I practically accused you of cheating on me and," Seunghyun paused, he felt guilty and he's disgusted with himself for even doubting this fact, "and I hate myself for doubting Jihyun. That's," he sighed, rubbing his face with his palms, "that's out of line."

Jiyong scooted closer, reaching a hand out to Seunghyun's back, palming along his spine warmly. "To be honest, it did hurt to hear you say stuff like that. I wanted to just leave and disappear and never want to see you again." Seunghyun's head snapped up, eyes skimming in horror.

"Ji.." Seunghyun took Jiyong's hand, squeezing it apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for what I said. It was a really stupid thing to say. I was stupid. I know with all my heart that she's mine. Things just slipped out of my mouth because I was upset and I wasn't thinking. I would never intend to hurt you like that." Seunghyun pleaded.

Jiyong squeezed back. "I know you wouldn't. Because I understand where you were coming from, why you were mad. I mean, if it was me, I would've flipped out and went crazy over something like that too."

Seunghyun shuddered at the thought of Jiyong throwing a bitch fit. He had a few experiences in his resume and they were a town that Seunghyun would try his best not to revisit again.

"But it still hurt as much to think that you didn't trust me." Jiyong muttered, lacing their fingers together.

Seunghyun stayed silent for a moment before he realized something. "No, wait a second. But you didn't trust me enough to tell me about what happened between you and Hyuksoo."

Jiyong's eyes widened, cheeks flushed red. "That's- No, that's different. That's-"

Seunghyun gripped Jiyong's hands to keep him in place as he tried to pry himself away from Seunghyun. "How is it different? If it didn't slip Seungri's tongue last night, were you planning to take it to your grave?"

Jiyong looked down at his own lap, avoiding Seunghyun's pinning gaze. "It's embarrassing, okay? I didn't wanna tell you because it's embarrassing. And it's embarrassing because it was Hyuksoo. Besides, I have forgotten all about it after all these years. And it was just a kiss. I didn’t know that you would think it was something serious! And I have been very careful after that not to let it happen again.”

“Well what was I supposed to think when I only learned about it years after it happened? Of course I thought you were hiding something from me and it must be something serious.” Seunghyun pursed his lips. 

Jiyong groaned. “I understand that you’d be mad about it but not to the extent of doubting Jihyun.” Jiyong retorted. “And usually when we fight, we say stupid things that mean nothing and then ignore each other and then starts missing each other a couple of hours later and then we’d make up!”

Jiyong paused to catch his breath. “But you scared the shit out of me when you yelled in the washroom. I’ve never seen you that mad before. I thought you were gonna snap my neck or something.”

Seunghyun huffed and shook his head. “Well you do know how I feel about someone else touching you, platonically or not.”

Jiyong bit the inside of his cheeks. “The same way I feel about people staring at you.” He mumbled, fiddling with his fingers, still tightly wrapped in Seunghyun’s hands.

Jiyong was as possessive as Seunghyun was and probably more because he hated people checking Seunghyun out. It was kind of a conflict because he loved flaunting Seunghyun around but he would go crazy if people started to ogle his tall and handsome partner.

Seunghyun untangled their hands and reached for Jiyong’s chin, tilting it up to look into Jiyong’s eyes. "I can't tolerate people touching you, let alone kiss you." Seunghyun's eyes dropped to Jiyong's lips and he was washed over by an overwhelming feel of possessiveness knowing that someone else had kissed those lips. He felt dominant all of a sudden. Although they had always been his, he felt a powerful urge inside of him to reclaim those lips. So he lunged in and caught Jiyong by surprise, who yelped at the sudden contact.

The kiss was indeed claiming and possessive and Jiyong willingly surrender, reciprocating the fervor. When Seunghyun cupped his face, Jiyong moved, leaning forward with his hands on Seunghyun's shoulders, urging the elder to lie back down. Jiyong took the lead this time; leaning in deeper into the kiss, tilting his head to get that angle that would make Seunghyun moan and whimper.

Seunghyun lifted his head to get more, to claim more, like this was not enough. But Jiyong teasingly pulled away, pressing their laced hands further into the mattress.

“I know what you’re doing,” he mumbled against Seunghyun’s lips and noticed that he was already straddling Seunghyun. “They’ve always been yours,  _I’m_  yours. There’s nothing to  _reclaim_.”

Seunghyun dropped his head back onto the pillow and stared into Jiyong’s eyes. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” He muttered a few moments after.

It was an honest confession but Jiyong decided to be funny. “Huh, you say that now. Wait until I’m gone-”

“Jiyong!” From the glower on Seunghyun face, Jiyong knew the elder didn’t find it funny at all.

Jiyong pursed his lips. This wasn’t the first time he had joked about this and Seunghyun’s reaction was always the same. Imagining life and days without Jiyong was not something that Seunghyun would like to entertain. Although the first time it happened, Jiyong insisted that Seunghyun should think about it because whether Seunghyun liked it or not, it  _could_ happen. But Seunghyun waved it off saying that it would be way, way, way down the road and that they would grow old together, raising their kids, and hopefully grandkids too.

“I told you I don’t like you joke about things like that. It’s not funny.”

“Sorry,” Jiyong muttered, biting the inside of his cheek. And the scowl on Seunghyun’s face only softened when Jiyong kisses him again.

Something must have crossed Seunghyun’s mind while they kissed as the moment they pulled away, he sat up abruptly, shuffling Jiyong to sit on his lap. “Speaking of which, I have something to talk to you about.”

Jiyong frowned, still startled from Seunghyun's sudden steer. “What? What is it?”

“Okay,” Seunghyun inhaled deeply. This was not going to be easy. “After what happened to you the other day and now we know that it was ‘cause you’re pregnant, I think we need a helper, Jiyong.”

Jiyong eyes widened. “No. We don’t.” He scrambled off of Seunghyun, shaking his head. “I don’t wanna talk about this again. We’re doing fine. We don’t need anybody else to interfere in our lives.”

“Jiyong, listen,” he reached out for Jiyong’s hands but the younger crossed his arms, glaring back in disapproval. “Look, I’m not always gonna be around. I could be working in another city or another  _country_ , for that matter. Lucky I was just in Seoul the other day. You were home alone with Jihyun and I can’t thank god enough that she’s old enough to talk to me on the phone. What if she was just a year old? It’s perilous, Ji.”

“I thought you didn’t like thinking about bad stuff.” Jiyong retorted.

“No, I don’t. And this is me trying to keep those bad stuff away.”

“We don’t need a stranger in our home. My sister can keep me company. Or yours.”

“They’re not always gonna be around either. They have their own lives to worry about.”

“Then forget it. I’m not gonna let some stranger snooping around our home. I can manage everything, I always have anyway.” Jiyong scooted away to roll off the bed but Seunghyun stopped him.

“Jiyong, please. At least it would give me the peace of mind whenever I’m away that someone is looking after you. For now, you may feel fine. But as the baby grows, even the littlest thing would demand a lot.” Seunghyun paused for a moment to let his manifesto seeps in. “If you are not sure about it, we can have a test run. Say, for two weeks. After that, if you still don’t like it or still not comfortable about it, we can call it off.”

Jiyong hated how convincing Seunghyun was right now. And he hated that Seunghyun was right. He was right even when he talked about this years ago, when he was 3 months into his pregnancy with Jihyun. But somehow, he managed to talk Seunghyun out of it and convinced the elder that he would be fine. Jiyong understood that Seunghyun was concerned. He understood where Seunghyun was coming from. But, he cringed at the idea of a stranger having access to their home, to their private lives. This was his territory, his den, his nest and a foreign being felt like a breach.

“Ji..”

Jiyong glared towards the elder. His mind was still weighing his own verdict. He wanted to agree as much as he wanted to disagree.

“Jiyong-”

“FINE.” Jiyong finally surrendered. He glowered but the expression on Seunghyun’s face was the total opposite. “Fine. I’ll agree to have a helper. But with one condition.”

“Sure! You name it.”

“We’ll do it my way. I’ll make the decision and I’ll make the rules.”

Seunghyun shrugged. “Fine by me. I’ll get the company’s help to look for the candidates from reputable agencies.”

“And you owe me.”

“You can have anything you want.” Seunghyun leaned in and pecked Jiyong on the lips. “Thank you, baby.”

Jiyong rolled his eyes, standing up from the bed and walked away without even glancing at Seunghyun. “Get your ass downstairs for breakfast. I’m gonna check on Jihyun.”

Seunghyun chuckled and shook his head; sassy Jiyong was his favorite.

No.  _Jiyong_ was his favorite.

 

**************

 


	6. Seunghyun Had A Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a filler chapter. I decided to have filler chapters in this story as I have a few drafts & drabbles of the family but couldn't find the fit in the main storyline. They are stand alone chapters, which means they are not a continuation of the previous chapter or a prerequisite for the next one; but I would try to keep them within appropriate timeline (Jiyong's pregnancy). So, yeah. Enjoy!

 

"Jiyong," Seunghyun called out on one lazy morning. "Ji.." He called out again when there was no response.

Jiyong hummed after the second call.

"I have a question."

Jiyong frowned, eyes still closed, heavy with sleep. Why on Earth was Seunghyun having a question this early? It's not even 7 o'clock. "What is it?" He asked, voice muffled against his pillow.

Seunghyun shuffled about with the covers a little bit, propping himself with one hand, facing Jiyong's back. The lover was lying on his side, facing the opposite. "Are you gonna get..um.. You know, the um... Well since you're pregnant, I'm just curious, and it's a logical question to ask because when someone's pregnant-"

"Just get to the question, Seunghyun.." Jiyong was still in his sleeping position. Eyes still closed, floating in and out of sleep.

"Um...okay," Seunghyun scratched his head. It was not itchy, but a reflex of nervousness. Why was he nervous? Probably because of the silly question he was about to ask. "Okay. I'm just curious if you're gonna get..." He paused again, still staring at Jiyong's back, still contemplating whether he should go on and ask the question or just forget it.

Jiyong almost had it. "Seunghyun, if you-"

"I'm curious if you're gonna get boobs this time. To feed the baby, I mean." The question blurted out of Seunghyun in one breath.

Jiyong's eyes snapped open. _Is he serious?_  He turned to lie on his back and tilted his head to face Seunghyun. "Is that a serious question?"

"I said I’m curious." Seunghyun felt his cheeks got warmer under Jiyong's stare.

Jiyong shook his head in disbelief. But it was hilarious at the same time. Seunghyun was just an adorable oddball. "Let me ask you something back. Did I have them when I was pregnant with Jihyun?"

"No..?"

"Then the answer is, no, I'm not gonna get them this time either." Jiyong turned back into his sleeping position earlier, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing at how ridiculous Seunghyun's curiosity level could get, leaving Seunghyun blinking in disappointment.  But Jiyong turned back around after a few moments of silence and found that Seunghyun was still staring at him; a slight pout on his lips. "Just what were you doing thinking about this so early in the morning?" Jiyong frowned.

"Well I had a dream.."

The frown softened into an amused expression and Jiyong squinted slightly as he grabs a pillow and covers his chest with it. "No way!" From the mischievious glint in Seunghyun's eyes, Jiyong knew that his boyfriend was about to go crazy. Crazy  _horny_. He was about to turn back around when Seunghyun quickly scooted over and pulled him back.

Jiyong yelped and bursted into a fit of giggles as Seunghyun spooned him tightly and nuzzleed at his ear; one hand gripping Jiyong's wrist and the other tickling his side. "Do you wanna hear about the dream?"

"No! I don't! I don't wanna hear it!" Jiyong was out of breath, laughing from Seunghyun merciless tickles.

"I'm gonna tell you anyway!"

"No! I don- Seunghyun!" Jiyong laughed even more.

"In that dream, you were pregnant." Seunghyun hooked one leg over Jiyong's waist to keep him still. "Your belly was just showing a little bit, just like you are now, sexy as hell."

"But I'm barely showing right now!"

"Who cares? Still sexy!"

Jiyong laughed and screamed for help, begging Seunghyun to stop tickling and let him go. But Seunghyun did not loosen his grip.

"We were doing the dirty dirty, with you riding me, and I noticed that," Seunghyun stopped tickling and snaked the hand upwards and stopped when his thumb found Jiyong's hardened nipple. "I noticed that you had boobs."

Jiyong hissed. Even though he was not getting them, it didn't mean that they weren't sore. Pregnancy got them that way. "And you liked them, huh?" Jiyong asked, breathless from the tickle attacks and now gasping from the pleasure of Seunghyun's ministrations. He shifted to completely flushed against Seunghyun's entire naked body, still trapped in the elder's embrace.

"They weren't that big, but puffy enough to, you know," Seunghyun cupped his hand and showed Jiyong what he did in his dream, "to play around."

 _"Play around?"_  Jiyong swatted the naughty hand away, covering his chuckle with the back of his hand. "What else did you do?"

Seunghyun's face lit up with a playful grin.

"Show me."

Seunghyun didn't skip a beat and leaned down to latch his lips against Jiyong's neck, licking and sucking the skin lightly. Jiyong's sighs and hums stirred his arousal as he kissed his way down to Jiyong's chest. One of his hands curled around to Jiyong's back, smoothing his palm along the curve of his arched back.

The kisses trailed down until Seunghyun took a nipple into his mouth and sucked teasingly, just the way he knew that would make Jiyong giggle and squirm. The way he knew that would make Jiyong pull his hair as a warning to quit playing. Just the way Jiyong loved it.

Enough with the teasing, Seunghyun took the nub fully, sucking eagerly and even more so when Jiyong started to moan lewdly, sighing blissfully, arching his neck, throwing his head back into the pillow. Seunghyun made it a point to press his palm at the small of Jiyong's back, holding him hips to hips.

When Jiyong became restless, unsure hands blindly roaming around looking for something to hold on to; Seunghyun's arms, Seunghyun's hair, the pillows, the sheets, Seunghyun knew Jiyong could release if he kept going. So he slowed down, brushing light kisses against the sensitive nub until Jiyong's breath steadied down. Seunghyun placed a kiss on Jiyong's belly before looking up at him.

Jiyong pulled Seunghyun up to claim a kiss. "Are you sure it was me in your dream? Not some  _actress_ that you were probably fantasizing about?" He tilted his chin up, challenging Seunghyun.

"There's only one person in this entire world who could have my dick and calls me  _Daddy_ while having it."

Jiyong blushed so hard and hid his face right under Seunghyun's jaw. "Yeah, that sounds like me." He mumbled as he shifted again, slightly grinding against Seunghyun's inner thigh.

Seunghyun moved a bit to let Jiyong lie on his back again with him nuzzling his neck, branding light kisses on his shoulder, and he ground back.

Jiyong hummed. "You are so wet already!"

"I told you I had a dream," Seunghyun smiled against Jiyong's ear, nibbling and sucking on the soft skin of his ear lobe.

"Seunghyun," Jiyong called out in a whisper, hot against Seunghyun's ear. He carded a hand in Seunghyun's hair and fisted a handful. "I can wear that lingerie again if you want."

Seunghyun stilled for a moment before propping up above Jiyong, studying the younger's expression with wide eyes. A wiggle of Jiyong's eyebrows in approval sent Seunghyun flying across the room to their closet to find that goddamned lingerie.

Jiyong laughed in the middle of the bed. "Kinky bastard."

 

**************

 


	7. To Tell or Not To Tell

 

“What does my baby girl want for breakfast this morning?” Jiyong bent down and kissed atop of Jihyun’s head. “Pancakes? Cereal? Or do you want something else? Don’t ask for pastries though; I’m too lazy to go out this morning.”

“Umm..no, not cereal or pancakes or pastries,” Jihyun shook her head. She paused and then looked up at her father. “Waffles! Waffles with maple syrup and strawberries and bananas.” She recited her order, counting each berry with her tiny fingers. “Lotsa, lotsa, lotsa strawberries and bananas.”

Jiyong smiled.  _Sweet tooth just like her father._  “Okay, waffles with lotsa, lotsa, lotsa strawberries and bananas it is.”

“And vanilla ice cream on top of it.” She added before turning around to leave for her play corner in the living room.

“No. It’s too early for ice cream.” Jihyun paused in her track and turned back around.

“Whipped cream?” She tilted her head to the side, playing the cute card to get what she wanted.

“No, it’s too early for whipped cream too.” Jiyong crossed his arms, trying to be stern although he was already melting inside.

The little girl opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself. She turned her head and glanced up the staircase and turned back to Jiyong. “Okay, that’s alright then. Just the waffles, the syrup, the strawberries and the bananas.”

Jiyong noticed the mischievous grin on her face. He frowned and squinted at her.

“Thank you, Papa.” She tilted her head again before disappearing into the living room.

 _She takes after Seunghyun so much I'm going crazy._  “Waffles for everyone then,” he muttered, still smiling from his daughter’s cuteness. He turned around and got himself busy with breakfast; put four frozen waffles into the oven because Seunghyun and Jihyun would always end up having one and a half, started the coffee machine, poured a glass of milk for Jihyun, and set out the plates and cutleries on the kitchen counter. He sliced up the strawberries and bananas into tiny bite sizes while the maple syrup warmed up in the microwave oven.

And only then that he realized Seunghyun was still upstairs in their bedroom.

“Jihyun?” Jiyong called out and paced to the little corner in the living room where the little girl was sitting down, legs stretched out with a massive book of animals splayed on them. “Stay here, okay?” He smoothed her hair with a hand. “Don’t go into the kitchen or near the stove. I’m just gonna go upstairs and check on Daddy real quick.”

“Okay,” Jihyun, fascinated by the pictures in the book, mumbled without even looking up at him.

“Stay there.” He reminded her one more time and climbed up the stairs.

 

Jiyong walked into their bedroom expecting to hear the sound of running water or at least Seunghyun's voice singing, or humming a song in the shower, but it was quiet.

"Seunghyun?" He called out, walking towards the closet; because if Seunghyun was not in the bathroom, he was probably in the closet. Jiyong walked in and stopped at the oval bench in the center of the room, looked around, and called out his name again. No response still.

Just when Jiyong pulled up a hand to scratch the back of his head, wondering where Seunghyun could be, he heard a sound coming from the bathroom. "Oh, he's still in there?"

"Seunghyun?” Jiyong knocked on the door and pushed it open. Two steps in, Jiyong paused. Seunghyun, already dressed, was once again crouching in front of the toilet bowl like he had found him not two nights ago. On other days, Jiyong would've gone panicked if he would find Seunghyun like this. The next thing Seunghyun would know, Jiyong would be frantically calling the doctor and the doctor would be here in mere minutes, or he would already be in a hospital. But not this time. Instead of gasping in shock, he bit his lip to hide a smile and strode closer to Seunghyun.

“Hey,” he smoothed a palm along Seunghyun’s back. “Are you okay?” He tried to sound concerned but the mischievous smile threatened to spread that he had to purse his lips tight. He knew he had nothing to worry about this.

Seunghyun glanced up and scoffed. “You’re enjoying this.” He rose from his crouch and pushed the flush button.

Jiyong chuckled as he followed Seunghyun to the sink and stood behind him, both hands kneading at his shoulders and back. “I am not.” He chuckled even more when Seunghyun threw him a glare through his reflection in the mirror. “What you are experiencing now is called ‘sympathetic pregnancy’. You went through it when we were pregnant with Jihyun, don’t you remember?”

“That was-“ Seunghyun paused and wiped his cleaned mouth with the hand towel. “That was a long time ago.”

Jiyong smiled, raising himself on his toes to rest his chin on Seunghyun’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he mumbled. “It usually lasts a couple of weeks. Then you’ll be fine.”

Seunghyun huffed a weak smile at their reflection in the mirror, noting the grin on Jiyong’s face. He turned his face towards Jiyong and was greeted with a light kiss on his cheek.

“Let’s go have breakfast.” Jiyong whispered and then bounced away, pulling Seunghyun with him by his arm.

“I hope you didn’t cook.” Seunghyun teased.

Jiyong snapped around with a fake dramatic scowl. “How dare you?” He paused for a moment for dramatic effect. Then he smiled. “Of course not. Your little girl wanted waffles. Don’t complain because I know you love it too.”

Seunghyun laughed and let himself be dragged down the staircase towards the kitchen.

“Jihyun,” Jiyong called out. “Come here, let’s eat.” And he moved about the kitchen to set everyone’s plates and Seunghyun helped with the coffee, the milk from the fridge, the maple syrup from the microwave, the bananas, and the strawberries.

“Just a second!” The tiny voice replied.

“Jihyunnie.” Seunghyun called out instead, with a tone that was stern enough to summon the child but playful at the same time.

“I’m coming!”

Jiyong pouted. “She listens to you.”

Seunghyun sidled up to him and wrapped an arm around his waist and pecked his cheek. “Don’t be ridiculous, baby.” And he peppered Jiyong’s entire face with kisses when the pout wouldn’t go away with just one kiss until Jiyong giggled and shoved him away.

“Daddy!”

“Heyyy, there’s my princess!” Seunghyun turned around in time with the child bumping into his side. So he bent down and picked her up into his arms. “Good morning.” The two exchanged kisses and Seunghyun sat her into her high stool at the breakfast counter.

Jihyun leaned over to her Daddy and cupped her tiny hands around the man's ear. "Daddy, can I have some ice cream with my waffles?" She whispered and pulled away, eyes wide with hope.

Seunghyun's eyes darted up to Jiyong who had his back turned towards them, and back to his daughter. If a request had to be whispered like it was a top secret, he knew Jiyong had denied her of it earlier. He looked back up to Jiyong before leaning to Jihyun. "You know what?" He asked, watching the little girl's eyes lit up. "I think I want some too. Let me go and get it." He pecked the top of Jihyun's head and slid off from his own stool to the fridge. He took out the ice cream tub and reached over for a spoon.

Jiyong, who noticed it a little too late, let out a sigh when he saw Seunghyun scooping ice cream and dumping it onto Jihyun’s waffles; right in the middle.

"Seunghyun! She can't have ice cream for breakfast!"

"Why not?" He took another scoop of the delightful vanilla-flavored dessert and this time, he dumped it onto his own waffles. "It's like...well it's like frozen milk."

Jiyong knew he could never win whenever Jihyun teamed up with Seunghyun and went against him. "But it's too early for ice cream!"

"It's never too early for ice cream." Seunghyun scooped a little bit of the ice cream with the tip of the spoon and walked over to Jiyong. "Or too late." He cocked an eyebrow. “Open up.”

Jiyong challenged by pursing his lips.

“You know you want it,” Seunghyun teased. They stared at each for a moment before Jiyong gave in and the father and daughter roared with triumph. Then Seunghyun scooped the ice cream for Jiyong as well.

Jiyong could only laugh at the antics of the two people that he loved.

 

“What is our plan?” Jiyong asked, standing at the vanity after his shower.

Seunghyun was sitting by the bathtub, leaning against the wall, watching over Jihyun in her bath. He looked up at Jiyong.

“Do we tell people now or do we wait?” Jiyong continued with his question.

Seunghyun thought for a moment. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Up to you. Maybe not yet?”

Jiyong let out a relieved sigh. “Yeah, I was thinking the same. Let’s wait until after the critical period.”

“The critical period?” Seunghyun picked up a rubber duckie from the tub and squeezed the water out of it right into Jihyun’s face, making the child shriek with laughter. “And when is that?”

“Into the second or third month.” Jiyong paused. “Yeah let’s wait until the third month.”

“But I think we need to extend the news to someone first.”

Jiyong turned to Seunghyun.

"The Boss." Seunghyun cocked an eyebrow. “We need to tell him so we could arrange for a less tiring work plan and schedule for you.”

“Right..” Jiyong turned back around and continued with his beauty regime.

“And I also need to talk to him about the helper arrangement.”

Jiyong groaned. “Ugh, the helper.”

“Hey, you promised.” Seunghyun rebuked.

“I know.”

 

“Where are we going?” Jihyun asked in the car ride over to the studio.

“To the studio, baby. Me and Daddy have some work to do.” Jiyong smiled, smoothing his hand along her silky hair.

“Will you take long? Because it gets kinda boring after a while.”

“Don’t worry. We won’t be long. Plus, uncle Youngbae is there.” Yeah, Youngbae was one of the baits, a good one, to have Jihyun tolerate the studio for more than a few hours. Another one would be Haru, but unfortunately she was not even in the country at the moment.

True enough, Youngbae greeted them by the door and welcomed Jihyun into his arms as soon as he saw her, with Jiyong and Seunghyun tailing behind.

“Are you guys…okay?” Youngbae asked as he stood up from picking Jihyun up, recalling the incident at the restaurant.

“Yeah, we’re- we’re fine. Everything’s okay.” Jiyong smiled but failed at veiling his nervousness. “We’re just gonna go upstairs and talk to Yang for a bit.”

Youngbae’s face fell, concern flooded his expression. “Is everything really alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” Seunghyun patted his shoulders. “Help us watch over Jihyun for a while?”

“Of course.” Youngbae replied; face still frowning, studying the two.

Jiyong smiled nervously. “We’ll be right back.”

 

“Again?!” was Yang's reaction when Jiyong and Seunghyun conveyed the news to him. “Wow, I thought they said that you won’t be- Yeah, who cares. Well, congratulations!”

“Yeah, it was unexpected, really. We are very much surprised as you are.”

“It’s great, isn’t it? It’s a pleasant surprise.”

“Yeah, it is.” Jiyong and Seunghyun looked at each other before the latter continued. “So, given the situation, we need to discuss a couple of things.”

“Oh, press conference?”

“No, nononononono.” Almost the same number of ‘no’ streamed out of the two.

“So, we’re keeping this a secret?”

“No,” Seunghyun began. “We’re not keeping it a secret, but we’re not announcing it either. People would know when people would know.”

“I see.”

“And it’s still too early to be telling everybody, anyway. We’ve decided to wait until the third month.”

“And how long are you now?”

“A little over a month; almost six weeks.”

“Ahh..” Yang nodded. “So we need to make some changes to your schedule, then, Jiyong?”

“Yes, that’s what we’re here for.” And then Jiyong turned to Seunghyun.

“Well, in this state, his comfort and safety is my highest priority. So I would appreciate if you would agree to allow his public appearances only up until the fifth month; because he won’t be showing too much and light activities wouldn’t tire him as much.” Seunghyun paused to take a breath. “And then after that, he can continue with writing and producing as usual. But of course we can take some offers into consideration depending on his condition.”

Yang nodded, contemplating on the request. “Well, I don’t see any problem that. You are all practically done with the tour and other main activities and appearances. I shall have legal come up with a black and white.”

“Thanks. We’d really appreciate that.”

“When is the baby due?”

“End of February.”

Yang noted with a nod.

“Oh, right. One more thing.” Seunghyun sat up from leaning back in his seat, remembering something. “I, um..I’m thinking of hiring a helper for us.”

“A helper? Like a nanny?” Yang wondered and darted his gaze between the two. “Are you sure?” The question was directed at Jiyong who quickly hiked his thumb towards Seunghyun.

“Well, yeah. I can’t be around to look after him all the time. As you know, my schedule sometimes requires me to travel. So I need someone to be around and look after him and Jihyun while I’m away.”

“Okay..” Yang sounded unsure. “Are you sure it is safe? I mean to have someone meddling around your home?”

Jiyong pointedly raised in eyebrows at Seunghyun. The latter ignored it and continued.

“That’s why we may need the company’s help to get some candidates from reputable agencies. Anonymously. Because we know that the company values our best interests as much as we do.”

Yang nodded again. He let out a sigh before agreeing. “Okay, sure. If that’s what you need us to help with, we’ll try and work something out.”

“Thank you. We really appreciate that.”

 

**************

 


	8. The Helper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally hired a helper. But Seunghyun is the one dreading the decision now.

"I have the profiles," Seunghyun said as they picked up Jihyun’s toys that were lying around the great room and put them into the toy chest. It was the end of the day and they were tidying up the mess before going to bed. Jihyun was already asleep.

Jiyong bent over to pick up Gina the Giraffe plushy and gathered it along with Ellie the Elephant, Pororo the Penguin, and Momo the Monkey--he had a mini plushy zoo in his arms. He sat them on the bench by the window and huddled them against the corner. He let out a sigh before turning to Seunghyun who was putting the crayons back into their boxes.

"Of the helpers," Seunghyun added when Jiyong didn’t say anything. He glanced up from rolling the drawing paper. “Let’s look at them together later.”

Jiyong, with arms crossed, kept his gaze on Seunghyun. “Okay,” he said after a long moment. He had mixed feelings about this; like 70-30. Deep down, he knew it was better to have an extra pair of hands around the house, but to think of having someone else in their home was kind of scary. He knew Seunghyun didn't like it anymore than he did, but Seunghyun told him over and over again that Jiyong's and the baby's safety trumped all other scares. 

Jiyong loved Seunghyun and Seunghyun loved him and if Seunghyun was doing this out of love, he knew he had to compromise. He had no idea how this would turn out but he decided to just trust Seunghyun. Besides, Seunghyun said they could try this for two weeks and if he didn't like it, they could call it off.

 _Yeah, I can do two weeks._ Jiyong thought.

  
“So,” Seunghyun settled himself in their bed, arranging the comforter up to his waist as he leaned back against the headboard, and reached out for the brown envelope on his nightstand. “Where should we begin?” He pulled out the content of the envelope. “Or rather, with whom should we begin.”

Jiyong climbed up the bed, snaking under the comforter and scooted next to Seunghyun. He leaned back against Seunghyun’s chest and pulled one of Seunghyun's arms around his neck. “How many are there?”

Seunghyun counted the compiled papers, stapled accordingly. “Seven.”

"Have you looked at them?"

Seunghyun shook his head, "Nope, not yet," he said, passing half of the profiles to Jiyong. "Let's look at them together."

Jiyong shifted to sit up against the headboard and looked at the three profiles in his hands. As he did so, his eyes caught something odd.

"Well, this is interesting."

"What?" Seunghyun peeked over.

"There's a guy! There's a male helper." Jiyong was actually surprised to see a man among the candidates. It had never occurred to him that men could also be doing this profession. He just naturally assumed that they would all be women given their mothering instincts.

"What?!" Seunghyun repeated himself, peeking over Jiyong's shoulder, flipping the papers in his own hands to check.

"Completed and excelled the Executive Home Management Education course at the Seoul University School of Hospitality Management." Jiyong cited.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Look," Jiyong lifted the paper so Seunghyun could look at it better.

Seunghyun blinked, speechless. The picture of the young candidate stared back at him. And then he huffed, "Huh, I thought they were all women."

"Me too! I just assumed that they would all be women." Jiyong agreed and suddenly thought of something mischievous that could be his way out of this. So he said, "But I think it's a refreshing idea."

"What is?" Seunghyun glanced sideways.

"A male helper." Jiyong continued when all Seunghyun did was stare at him. "I mean, if I'm gonna be helpless and fragile and vulnerable, it's good to have someone stronger than me to help around the house. Someone taller is even better. I can't use the stool to reach the top shelves with a bulging stomach, now can I?"

"Are you recruiting a helper or looking for my replacement?"

Jiyong laughed at that. "No! But think about it. We could use a couple of extra hands with our luggage and stuff if we're to travel somewhere."

"He's coming when we travel too?"

"Well he is my helper. I want all the help I can get whenever I want, wherever I want." Jiyong was amused with Seunghyun's reaction. He watched as Seunghyun's frown as he thought about the idea.

Seunghyun shook his head after a moment. "No."

"So, he's gonna stay at home alone and snoop around the house when we travel?" Jiyong knew just what to say to get to Seunghyun. He knew Seunghyun hated curious people snooping around, touching his valuables.

Seunghyun didn't reply, but actually thought about it for a moment before he realized, "Wait, we still haven't met these people and we have not decided who we're gonna hire yet." He said, waving the papers in his hands.

"Yeah, but if he is qualified, we should hire him. In fact, it wouldn't be fair if we don't hire him when he is actually good at what he does."

"You're doing this on purpose." Seunghyun scowled.

"Am I?" Jiyong teased, smirking.

"I know you are. It's not gonna happen. We're not hiring him."

"Look," Jiyong passed the profiles back to Seunghyun and flashed the man a cheeky grin, "let's meet them all and then we'll see, okay? Besides, you were the one who was so eager to get a helper."

Seunghyun dumped all the profiles onto the nightstand, groaning as he did so, and slid under the comforter, wrapping Jiyong in his arms."I don't like where this is going at all." He grumbled against Jiyong's nape. He knew he was in trouble when Jiyong just huffed a laugh, pulling Seunghyun's arms tighter around him, and mumbled a 'good night'.

 

⌘

 

On the day of the interview, Seunghyun was anxious. He had asked the agency about the male candidate, hoping that it was a mistake, but the agency told him that the candidates that they had shortlisted for him met his own requirements and that they were their best. Seunghyun thought of removing the guy from the list, but he knew Jiyong would call him out. Jiyong had already called him 'ridiculous', 'silly' and 'jealous', so he didn't want to add another adjective into that list. So for now, he made a mental note to put 'female' as the first requirement the next time they would hire a helper.

The interview went smoothly; they brought Jihyun with them, so they could see her around the candidates and their reactions toward her. Although Jiyong was reluctant at first, not liking the idea of Jihyun interacting with complete strangers, but he quickly saw the reason behind it after the first session.

By the end of the sessions, Jiyong had already warmed up to the idea of hiring a helper and having met and talked to all of the candidates, Jiyong was more opened to the idea and was enthusiastic to hire one.

Surprisingly, they both were actually satisfied with and agreed unanimously on all candidates. Well, all but one. Seunghyun hated that the male candidate was actually good at what he did. He worked with a famous family before, so that was a huge bonus point. Seunghyun was curious about the reason he was not working with that family anymore so the candidate told him that the family moved abroad and he couldn't go with them. And the guy even brought a faxed referral letter from his former employer, from halfway across the world, filled with praising words.

Also now, the two-weeks trial had stretched into one month because Jiyong thought two weeks were too short of time to evaluate someone's capabilities or to even begin to trust someone and that it was ridiculous to let someone out of job after just two weeks. Seunghyun's response to that was just squeezing his eyes shut, and he inhaled deeply, counted to ten and then shook his head.

Jiyong demanded to call the shot, so call the shot he did.

 _Dammit._ Seunghyun gritted. The situation was definitely backfiring him. Yes, he was jealous. Terribly so. He was not going to let another man live in their home, and watch the man being around Jiyong, being around his child, and Seunghyun didn't want to think about if he had to travel somewhere and had to leave the three of them at home. He knew he would go crazy. And the fact that the guy stood almost as tall as him and was very well groomed had Seunghyun tossing and turning in his bed the night after the interview.

 

⌘

 

"So, have you made up your mind?" Seunghyun asked the next morning, sipping his coffee at the kitchen counter. He already knew what Jiyong's answer would be, but he asked anyway.

When Jiyong turned around to look at him, Seunghyun noticed the stupid grin on Jiyong's face. "Yes, I have."

"Jiyong."

"But he is qualified and you did actually agree that he was good. Besides, Jihyun seemed okay around him."

"I know, but.." Seunghyun sighed.

"But..?"

Dammit. "Okay fine, I'll agree. Only because he is good. If by any chance I find out you are doing this just to spite me, you're gonna pay for it, Jiyong."  
   
"I am not. Well, maybe a little," Jiyong teased and chuckled when Seunghyun glared at him over the rim of his mug. "I'm kidding!" He walked over to Seunghyun with the coffee pot in hand and replenished Seunghyun's mug.

Seunghyun raised the mug to his lips but paused before he sipped the drink and playfully accused, "Did you put something in my coffee?" 

Jiyong burst out laughing and smacked Seunghyun's shoulder with the kitchen towel that he was holding. "If I were to put something in your coffee, hiring a helper would not be the reason of it. What a waste."

Seunghyun blinked. "You're scary sometimes. I'll make my own coffee from now on."

"Like I only have access to your coffee." Jiyong took the mug from Seunghyun and stole a few sips of the coffee. "So," he started after putting the mug back onto the counter, "who would you choose?"

"Me? What? The helper?" He continued after Jiyong nodded. "Any of the rest is fine."

Jiyong laughed again.

"If he makes a move on you, Jiyong, I swear to god."

"He won't. He's probably not even interested."

For a moment, Seunghyun couldn't say anything to retort. But then his eyebrows shot up when he said, "Okay. What if he makes a move on me?" He felt victorious when he saw Jiyong's mischievous gaze slowly turned into a glare.

With a finger pointed at Seunghyun, Jiyong spat fire. "He won't because he's a professional and most probably straight, but if by some weird reasons he does, I would gouge his eyeballs out with my bare hands! And if you so much as indulge him, I will rip your balls off so don't you dare!"

Seunghyun was beyond amused when he laughed in reply. He leaned towards Jiyong and wiggled the tip of his nose against the tip of Jiyong's finger. "Nah, he's probably not even interested."

Jiyong blinked up at Seunghyun before averting his eyes. The truth was, Jiyong knew how Seunghyun felt, he had thought about it before. Imagining someone merely flirting with Seunghyun angered him and Seunghyun was clueless when he became the victim of Jiyong's unexplainable wrath that day like he actually cheated on Jiyong.

Jiyong felt his cheeks warmed from the embarrassment when he thought about that incident. Indeed, he was embarrassingly jealous of the imaginary flirt.

"Jiyong," Seunghyun's voice broke Jiyong's train of thoughts.

Jiyong looked back into Seunghyun's eyes. "Hyung don't be ridiculous. It's gonna be fine, I promise. Let's hire him."

Seunghyun whined into his mug.

 

⌘

 

Two weeks later, the helper, Kang Kyungjun, reported for duty. The couple's schedules clashed and Seunghyun insisted that they both should be home to welcome the helper, hence the delay. Although Jiyong suspected that that wasn't Seunghyun's real reason, he didn't tease Seunghyun about it.

Seunghyun, Jiyong, Jihyun and their lawyer welcomed Kyungjun at the family residence.

"Given the situation," the lawyer started, pulling out paperworks from his briefcase. They were sitting in the living room; the lawyer in a single-seater, adjacent to the two-seater where Seunghyun, with Jihyun on his lap, and Jiyong were sitting, and Kyungjun sitting in another single-seater across from them.

"We require you to read and understand a few documents that we have prepared," the lawyer continued, "I'm sure you are familiar with the basics since you have experiences working with a well-known family before."

The lawyer paused as Kyungjun nodded, his gaze flitting across the glossy top of the coffee table.

"But," the lawyer glanced at Seunghyun and Jiyong, a little unsure of how to put the next matter into words. "I am not sure if you are aware of... Well, your employer, Mr. Kwon Jiyong here, is under a special circumstance that would require you to be discreet about a certain, specific matter."

Kyungjun looked up, not quite sure what the lawyer meant. "You mean, the matter being they are men living and having a family together? I'm totally fine with that."

"That's wonderful," the lawyer was visibly relieved, "but we are more concerned about the specific matter with Mr. Kwon."

For a moment, Kyungjun frowned, raking his mind through the information that he had read on the Internet while he was doing some background check on his employers. Then it dawned on him and his eyes immediately fell on Jiyong. "Oh. That."

Seunghyun tried so hard not to roll his eyes.

"Yes, that. We need you to be professional and discreet about it. We can and we will terminate your service immediately if you give us any reason to believe that you are compromising your employers."

"Yes, I understand," Kyungjun nodded. "In fact, you do not have to worry about that. Whatever happens in here, stays in here." He promised, looking intently at the lawyer, then at Seunghyun and Jiyong.

"We hope so and we'll hold you to your words," the lawyer seemed satisfied. "Also, I understand that you are aware that this will be a one-month trial?"

Kyungjun nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Very well, then." The lawyer then placed two sets of documents in front of the helper. "We have a couple of agreements here," he said, separating one document from the other. "This one is the employment agreement between you, the agency and your employers, Mr. Kwon and Mr. Choi. And the second one," the lawyer gestured at the other document, "is the non-disclosure agreement between you and your employers. After you sign this, you will be leaglly bound by the law not to disclose or spread or share details, information, pictures, or anything that is deemed as private and confidential relating to your employers and their families to anybody including your family, your friends and, of course, the public."

Kyungjun just nodded all through the explanation. Clearly he was used to all this, but he understood the lawyer's obligation to make the terms clear to every party involved in the agreement.

"We'll give you a few minutes to read through the papers. Initial each page and if you have any question, you can ask us right away."

"Sure." Clicking his pen, Kyungjun read on. He asked a few questions occasionally and the lawyer gladly explained. Jiyong added his explanation here and there, too, but Seunghyun chose to just be an observer, like he was ready to murder the guy if he made a wrong move.

Jihyun was a good distraction though, keeping her Daddy relaxed in his seat. She fumbled with the buttons on her Daddy's shirt, counted them one by one, having her Daddy correct her as she tended to skip five after four, and traced the checkered pattern of the fabric. Bored with the shirt, she palmed her Daddy's cheeks and laughed gleefully when Seunghyun made weird shapes with his mouth as she squeezed them together. She pulled Seunghyun's hands up and did the same to her cheeks with her Daddy's hands, and laughed even more when she tried to imitate her Daddy. She then reached over to Jiyong and squeezed his cheeks too. When Jiyong made a kissy face, she giggled and couldn't help but leaned over and kissed her Papa.

Jihyun pulled back from Jiyong and pressed her hand against the side of Seunghyun's face, turning him to Jiyong. "Daddy kiss Papa too."

Jiyong knew Seunghyun was still sulking about the helper and it pleased him immensely to be able to tease Seunghyun. So he grinned, latching onto Seunghyun's side, resting his chin on Seunghyun's shoulder. "Yeah, Daddy kiss Papa too."

Seunghyun just looked at Jiyong, trying to appear unamused by the kissy lips that Jiyong directed at him. God knows that they were one of Seunghyun's weaknesses, and Jiyong was still waiting for the kiss, wiggling his brows like a pervert.

"Daddy, kiss Papa!" Jihyun squealed and Seunghyun didn't have a choice but to give in, but with just a peck.

Jiyong grinned wider and Jihyun squealed in celebration, throwing her hands up.

"You are not supposed to look hot when you're sulking, though." Jiyong said quietly, his chin was still resting on Seunghyun's shoulder. "It's hard for me to keep my hands off of you." Indeed.

Seunghyun shot a warning glare at Jiyong when he felt a hand sliding up from his knee towards his inner thigh and he caught it just as the lawyer cleared his throat to speak - or to remind Jiyong that there were other people in the room with them. Jiyong blushed a deep red, pulling away from Seunghyun and sitting up straight.

"So, we're done here," said the lawyer, rearranging the papers as Kyungjun handed them back. "I'll send both of you a copy of these signed documents for your records. I'll send a copy to the agency as well." The lawyer kept the documents back into his briefcase and then stood up.

Jiyong, Seunghyun and the helper followed suit.

"You can always call me if you need anything," the lawyer offered a polite smile.

"Thanks," Seunghyun shook the man's hand, shifting Jihyun onto his other arm as the lawyer shook Jiyong's and the helper's hand too. "We'll walk you out."

"You need to relax," Jiyong whispered as they walked back to the living room after the lawyer had left.

"Let's just get this over with; let's do the house tour quickly and then we can have lunch. I'm starving." Seunghyun clipped, walking past Jiyong. He knew he was being a little childish but he didn't care. Jiyong was just going to have to deal with it.

This wouldn't last long--Jiyong knew it wouldn't. All he needed to do was to give Seunghyun a few days to adjust to these new changes and to get acquainted with the helper. Seunghyun would eventually come around and things would be fine.

Jiyong huffed a laugh and shook his head. _Well, a sulking Seunghyun is kinda adorable anyway._

 

⌘

 


End file.
